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Yamaha SR400 Review
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Sangria7Participant
I read about the guy who did the 7500 mile trip on his Rebel across country and I was laughing because he said probably worst and most dangerous part of his trip was when he was in Houston. And he was in a lot of the major cities….go figure.
Once I get a little better, I will start using my bike for the commute in the early mornings 530-6am so I miss most of the crappy traffic, but even then 610 is still bustling with activity mostly from Rigs.
Sangria7ParticipantFixed lol..thanks
Sangria7ParticipantAlmost felt like frogger dodging from time to time.
Ya I am only 154lbs .. lol
Sangria7ParticipantYup actually I went from Humble to Galleria and back.
Yes and 610 routes are pretty brutal imo.
Sangria7ParticipantI lock it.
Sangria7ParticipantTheir study shows:
A recent analysis of age trends shows that over the past 10 years, fatalities in the 20 to 29 year old age group, the group with consistently the highest annual number of motorcycle fatalities, decreased, while fatalities in the 40 and over age groups increased. During this time, however, there were more driving age individuals in the 40 and over age group in the United States.
Since 1980, motorcycle ownership among the 40 and over age group has increased significantly, from 15.1 percent in 1980 to 43.7 percent in 1998. [4]
Likewise, rural motorcycle fatalities have been increasing and have, in fact, surpassed urban fatalities in the years 1998 through 2001.
Another recent trend indicates that the engine size of the majority of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes has been increasing, as well. The mean engine displacement of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes has increased from an average engine size of 769 cc in 1990 to 959 cc in 2001, an increase of 24.7 percent.
Further, the mean age of motorcyclists’ fatalities has also increased from 29.3 years in 1990 to 36.3 years in 2001. The analysis also indicates a corresponding rise in the average age of motorcyclists killed and greater involvement of motorcycles with larger engines in fatal crashes.
According to NHTSA’s National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), a nationally representative observational survey of motorcycle helmet, safety belt, and child safety seat use, helmet use for motorcycle operators fell from 71 percent in 2000 to 58 percent in 2002. This drop is statistically significant and corresponds to a striking 45 percent increase in nonuse.
Rider impairment and speeding also remain major contributing factors in these unnecessary and preventable crashes (both are discussed in greater detail later in this document); however, some other findings extracted from FARS provide further insight into possible reasons for escalating motorcyclist fatalities:
Half of the fatalities in single vehicle crashes relate to problems negotiating a curve prior to a crash;
Over 80 percent of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes occur off the roadway (a crash occurring on the shoulder, median, roadside, outside right-of-way, off roadway – location unknown, in a parking lane, separator and gore. A gore is an area of land where two roadways diverge or converge.);
Almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle crashes occur at night;
Collisions with fixed objects are a significant factor in over half of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes
Sangria7Participantjust for clarification..this wasnt my theory. I found this through the highway safety website
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/motorcycle03/index.htm
Sangria7ParticipantYes…should be able to go in neutral running or not.
Sangria7ParticipantHey Bianca
I had the same fears as you did.
First off, dont let the instructors get to you. The instructors on my course did a lot of “yelling” or pointing out mistakes.
If it makes you feel any better, the first MSF day, I stalled my bike several times including the power walk. They kept telling me to slowly release the clutch to find the friction zone. I did as I was told, and I still stalled the bike. So on the 2nd day I was very aware on slowlyyy releasing the clutch and shifting. Press in clutch..shift…slowleeeee release. Hell, even during the test I stalled once. Since then I have only stalled my Rebel 250 once and it was because I didnt downshift to 1st on a stop. So what was the difference? The clutches on the MSF bikes are quite beatup and a lot more touchy than a newer taken care bike.
As far as clutch and throttle…play with it…find out the sweetspot where the clutch starts to hit the friction zone. Then slowly throttle roll. Also when youre in first and slowly hit the friction zone; walk the bike forward until you start to roll forward, then pick up your feet and then roll throttle.
On your 2nd day, pull an insturctor aside and ask if you can spend 5 minutes with him/her doing clutch,shift,throttle work. The worst thing you can do is not ask and still have a lot of questions before the test.
Lastly, again relax, clear your mind, and let it come naturally. Good luck and I am sure youll do fine.
Sangria7ParticipantI live up in Humble…so the route would be Beltway 8 West bound, then 59 South…to I-610 Westbound to the Galleria area.
Yes I hate the Houston traffic during rush hour, but at some point I am going to have to brave it. I have seen people do it but far and few motorcycles. I am trying to find an alternative route at the moment but I am not sure there is one
I dont think I would have went splat on a bigger bike…as I went into the grass. It was less of bike handling, and more on not correctly judging the entry speed of the V curve.
Sangria7ParticipantOFF Topic:
How much will the windshield help for highway riding? Or is it necessary at all?
Sangria7ParticipantSangria7ParticipantStart with your local Dept of Motor vehicles..they can probably point you in the right directions
Sangria7ParticipantYou will do a lot of “walking” the bike while playing with the clutch. Then you will do the clutch + shifter.
The MSF is taught as you have no experience with motorcycles. Dont worry about the course too much, just have fun with it, ask a lot of questions, and relax.Sangria7ParticipantFirst let me say welcome.
Here are some answers that you seek.
Q1: Yes, just call up the MSF course provider. You will be surprise how many people have 0 experience with riding. The whole purpose of the MSF basic is to give you the fundamentals and the basic skills. I think it varies from state to state but the MSF replaces the driven test for the most part for the licesnse, provided you pass the MSF. I had no riding experience when I took the MSF.
Q2: Again, I believe this is state to state, but for the most part the MSF will replace the driven portion of the test. For Texas, all I had to do is turn in my MSF certificate and do my written test to get my final motorcycle license. So you wont need an actual bike to complete it.
Hope that helps
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